Archive for the ‘Who We Are’ Category

We’re celebrating women in food this March for women’s history month. Woman-operated farms more than doubled between 1982 and 2007. According to the USDA, about 14% of farms in the U.S. are run by women today, and women make up 30% of all U.S. farmers.

At Bi-Rite, we support a diverse community of farmers and farm workers, including our very own farmer, Layla Aguilar! Read on to learn more about Layla’s life on the farm, how she got her start, and her fav veggies.

What is your role at Bi-Rite Farm? What does a normal day look like?My day can look a number of different ways! It ranges from being out in the fields from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM in the summer, to pouring over seed catalogues and meeting with other farmers for info-sharing in the winter months. Out on the field, my tasks include seeding, weeding, harvesting, and irrigation. From June through November, I come down to San Francisco twice a week to drop off produce at the Markets. For the past five seasons, we’ve been on one acre; this year we are expanding to three acres. This year, we’ll plant summer cover crops, perennials, hops, berries, herbs, flowers, and cucurbits such as squash, melons, and cucumbers that can roam free.

How did you get interested in food and farming? What set you on this path?
I’ve always had an interest in food. Post-college, I started working in a farm educational program for youth. After that experience, I realized I didn’t want to just teach, I wanted to learn more in-depth farm methods for food production. I enrolled in the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems program at UC Santa Cruz (CASFS). After graduation, I worked on different production and educational farms, and explored in farm marketing and sales. I started at Bi-Rite in July of 2013. It was the first time I was hired in a full vegetable production capacity.

What advice would you give to other women interested in a career in sustainable food and farming?I’ve attended the Ecological Farming Conference every year since 2007; I have a strong community of farmers I can call on. Most of them have also completed the CASFS program. This network is super important to me. It’s especially nice to build a community of farmers close by during the winter months. It can get a little depressing when you can’t go outside – I love meeting up with a fellow farmer for a coffee and some crop planning!

What are some of the challenges you and other farmers are currently facing, in the Bay Area (or further afield)?
Well, the big one is of course, the drought. Despite all the talk of El Nino, I’m super skeptical and distraught because I’m not sure the rains will be enough. We cannot make water, we are stuck with what we have. I can stress the plants some, but ultimately the lack of water compromises the plants’ quality and quantity. Last year I really pushed the envelope, and we felt the sting with a decrease in production. So for me, a big challenge is getting the job done well, while also being a good steward of the earth. Some specific challenges on the Bi-Rite Farm are heavy soils and salty water (we’re located close to the bay!). However, I’m learning more and more each season about how to care for the land. I’m constantly trying to educate myself and learn from the mistakes that we make.

What is your favorite vegetable?
To grow: Dry beans.

To eat: Cucumbers and peppers. They are so fun to snap right off the vine and munch on – they don’t need anything more! I also love hot peppers….I’m kind of obsessed.

How can the Bi-Rite community get involved in the farm this season? Harvest days?We’ve organized, and would like to continue to organize, farm visits, especially for the kitchen and produce departments. Sam would say that the ultimate goal of the farm is to educate staff. The more I can get people out there, the more I am doing my job. I have a background in farm education; I love showing large groups around the farm and coming up with on-farm tasks like planting and weeding.

We host Farm School with 18 Reasons, a ten session summer course where participants visit the farm on Saturdays to learn about small scale farming. I love working with the Farm School students because sometimes they have a lot of interest but very little experience. We have to start from the very beginning – like how to hold a tool!

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or only in it for the seven layer dip and the commercials, Super Bowl 50 is here! Even if your team didn’t make it to Levi’s Stadium, we’ve got everything you need to take your game day festivities to the next level.

It wouldn’t be a Super Bowl party without chips, dips, and pork rinds. Visit our online Super Bowl aisle via Instacart to stock up on all the snacks, sides, and celebratory beverages you need, delivered to your door within an hour.

It’s time to go big or go home, because your favorite Bi-Rite Market sandwiches are available by the foot for Super Bowl weekend!

To place your order before Saturday, February 6, please call the Deli at either Market (415-551-7900 for Divisadero, 415-241-9760 for 18th Street). Visit the Markets this weekend to pick up everything you need to score big with your guests.

Looking for a spin on the game day classics? There’s still time to have Bi-Rite Catering do the heavy lifting for you! Our newest West Coast Craft: Beer & Cheese Tasting showcases some of California’s finest artisan cheeses paired with unique craft beverages from the West Coast and beyond. Included in the package are 12 Ball jar tasting glasses and a charcuterie platter to round out the experience, as well as tasting and pairing notes for each guest. Super Bowl order deadline is Friday, February 5 at 3pm.

Hopefully, many of you were able to take advantage of our great lamb shank sale over the last couple of weeks. So now that you’ve dusted off the dutch oven, found a home on the counter for your crock pot, and honed your mirepoix game why not keep the braises rolling. El Nino is doing his best to keep us indoors, so make the most of it by keeping the kitchen cozy and the belly full. Over the next two weeks check out our butcher case for some terrific braising options like:

Beef Short Ribs

Pork Shanks

Ox Tails

Duck legs

Pork Belly

Lamb Shanks

Pasture-raised, heritage chickens

In a day and age where many grocery stores’ butcher departments consist of an unmanned refrigerator full of pre-wrapped meats, we are excited to have a counter hosted by a skilled butcher, who can cut to order, provide recommendations, and is also quite knowledgeable about the meats and cuts they are selling. Our butchers are here to provide you with the services of a trained meat cutter. Our knowledgeable butchers can set you up with everything you need to get your braise going, and while you’re at it, go for the full monty and grab a box of Baia Pasta and a bottle of Cab Franc to pair it with! The same way you have someone that cuts your hair, your favorite bartender, and your tailor, we want to be your butcher.

Who can resist an end-of-the-year listicle? Not us! We are incredibly grateful for our guests, staff, producers, and neighbors in 2015. Here are 5 reasons we thank you for your support of Bi-Rite and our Family of Businesses this year:

You made our monthly Divisadero Scoop Shop Campaign a sweet cause. We’re super grateful for all the ice cream eaters in our ‘hood. At the end of December, our Scoop Shop donations totaled $13,509 to 11 SF-based non-profit organizations. Through this program in 2015, you supported under-served LGBT youth, the beautification of San Francisco with new trees, and getting necessary care to domestic violence survivors, to name a few.

You provided good, fair food (and opportunity) for all. Your support allowed us to double the purchasing power of low-income shoppers at farmers’ markets and provide extra income for family farmers through our EBT Farmers’ Market Match program. With increased cash incentives from Bi-Rite, the Mission Community Market and the Heart of the City/Civic Center Farmers’ Marketsaw an increase in produce purchases by CalFresh customers and farmer sales. Your purchases also helped us train 5 corner-store owners in East and West Oakland to source, merchandise and sell healthier options in food deserts, via our Healthy Retail Program with HOPE Collaborative.

You supported a more vibrant, healthy San Francisco: Frombreakfast at SF Bike to Work Day to produce games at Sunday Streets, to harvest days at Mission High School, we believe that supporting our community goes beyond our four walls. In 2015, over 400 schools and non-profits received in-kind donations from Bi-Rite. Given our rapidly changing city, it is imperative that we all give. We could not support our San Francisco community without YOU.

You’re creating a stronger, sustainable good food movement. Your grocery basket empowers hundreds of farmers, cheesemongers, ranchers, winemakers and producers to feed us delicious, responsible, good food. Thank you for voting with your fork and dollar.

Planning your Prime Rib dinner? For ONE DAY ONLY save $3 per pound on our Five Dot Ranch Beef Prime Rib! Pre-Order your Prime Rib this Friday, December 11, from our Instacart Holiday Market for this special pricing of $15.99/lb (regularly $18.99/lb), for easy, in-store pick-up.

Easy Steps for Holiday Pre-Orders

All orders from Bi-Rite’s Instacart Holiday Market are for in-store pick-up only, at either Bi-Rite Market location. (If ordering from outside San Francisco, please use Bi-Rite’s 94110 zip code to create an account.)

Need help? No problem! A Bi-Rite Holiday Hotline is available at(415) 241-9760; select option 3 for Holiday menu-planning and ordering assistance. Menus can also be ordered in person with Bi-Rite Market staff at either market location, or by phone.

The air is crisp and the holiday cheer is here – our 4thAnnual Bi-Rite Holiday Toy Drive is near! From Friday, December 4th, to Friday, December 18th, we will collect everything from Mr. Potato Heads to paintbrush sets to board games to soccer balls for low-income and homeless children and families living in the Mission and in the Western Addition.

We’re proud to continue our long-time support of community-based organizations to create a happier holiday for our neighbors. Donations from Bi-Rite Market Divisadero will go to the Western Addition Beacon Center, which supports local youth every day through arts and cultural programming, academic support, college prep, and sports activities. All toys from Bi-Rite Market and Bi-Rite Creamery on 18thStreet will go to Arriba Juntos, a Mission-based community organization fostering self-sufficiency through occupational training and job opportunities for our neediest neighbors, for almost 50 years.

Sam’s love of Legos lives on.

This year, we’ve made new friends to double the impact of our Toy Drive. We’re teaming up with fellow mission-driven business and Valencia corridor staple Paxton Gate and their toy store, Curiosities for Kids. Paxton Gate will collect donations and bring in high-quality, educational and interactive toys, games, and projects for kids in need in the Mission. We will also partner with Children’s Book Project for all book donations. Children’s Book Project supports Bay Area children who have few or no books in their homes and attend schools and childcare facilities where children’s books are desperately needed.

We need your support to ensure that underserved kids in San Francisco have a wonderful holiday. We have four ways for you to #BeASanta and spread joy this holiday season:

Donate in-store! Please give new and unwrapped:

Toys (for kids 12 and under)

Books (for kids 16 and under)

Sports equipment (e.g. balls, bats, gloves, skateboards)

Art supplies (unused)

From Friday, December 4th to Friday, December 18th, drop off goodies in the toy barrels at the entrances of:

Party at a Parklet! Looking for extra fun? Enjoy a delicious Bi-Rite Creamery Christmas cookie or piping hot Dandelion European drinking chocolate in exchange for a new toy donation at our “Toys & Treats” event on Wednesday, December 16th, from 4:30PM to 6:30PM. Co-hosted by Dandelion Chocolate at their brand-spanking new parklet, we will welcome all generous souls with a free holiday photo booth, Four Barrel coffee and more treats! Paxton Gate will be on site with selected toys for purchase for all those who’d like to give on the spot.

Last year’s SF MOMA donation was amazing!

Swap Toys for a Treat! Find the Bi-Rite Community Team at Bi-Rite Divisadero on Wednesday, December 9th from 4 to 6PM. Shakirah and Sarah will be tabling outside, collecting toys from our neighbors, and sharing warm beverages and Creamery treats.

#BeASanta with our Instagram Contest! Are you ready to spread some serious holiday cheer? Tag us (@BiRiteSF) in a photo/selfie on Instagram with your toy donation at our Bi-Rite barrel with the hashtags #BeASanta #BiRiteToyDrive. The most liked photo on Instagram by December 18th, 2015 at 12PM will receive a $50 Bi-Rite Market and Creamery gift card! #winning

Last year, we collected over 450 toys via the generous outpouring from our staff, guests, local businesses, and greater community. We want to double that number – help us do it again!

It’s Bike Month in San Francisco, and we’re celebrating with the things that we, our cyclist friends, and San Franciscans love—safe cycling, helping our neighbors, and ice cream (of course!).

We’re co-hosting our second-annual Bike to Ice Cream Day fundraiser with PUBLIC Bikes to raise money for Pedal Revolution, an amazing non-profit bike shop that, through their partnership with New Door Ventures, has provided local youth with job training and opportunities for 15 years. Bike to Ice Cream Day will take place at the Bi-Rite Divisadero Scoop Shop at 550 Divisadero on Wednesday, May 20th from 5pm to 8pm. You can RSVP to this Facebook event and invite your friends!

Ivy from Divis shows off the This Little Piggy Rode to Market Sundae!

The event will feature a special limited-edition sundae, called “This Little Piggy Rode to Market,” featuring Chunky Pig Bacon Caramel Popcorn with Bi-Rite Creamery Brown Sugar with Ginger Caramel Swirl and Vanilla Ice Creams, and our house-made Fudge Sauce. Folks who come with their bike helmet with get $1.50 off their sundae! We’ll also have a raffle featuring sweet prizes from Bi-Rite and PUBLIC Bikes—tickets are just a buck! This event and the special sundae will be at the Divisadero Bi-Rite Market location ONLY, and are not to be missed!

If you can’t make it to the fundraiser, any donation you make in May at the Scoop Shop at Bi-Rite Market on Divisadero will go directly to Pedal Revolution. It’s one of only a few bicycle shops in the United States providing employment, job training, and hope to young people.

Bike To Work Day Energizer Station

And it wouldn’t be Bike Month without Bay Area Bike to Work Day! On May 14th, we proudly sponsored the Energizer Station at 17th and Valencia Streets. Anyone who rode by on their way to work got a perfect fair-trade banana or a cup of Bi-Rite Creamery Granola. We were so happy to be part of such a wonderful day and meet all the happy cyclists!

And that’s what Bike Month is all about, really — love of our City, love of cycling, love of the planet. Thanks for supporting Bike Month!

Chipotle suspended purchases from a pork producer that ran afoul of its animal welfare rules, an admirable stake in the ground that bolsters its reputation with diners but threatens sales and profits: (Reuters)

Despite what Paleo-heads may say, the microbiome’s ability to respond to our diet is why our bodies can adapt to so many different ways of eating–regardless of how long it might take for our genes themselves to change: (Huffington Post)

Studies showed that students who ate lunch after recess consumed 54% more fruits and veggies than those who ate before–maybe because they weren’t rushing to playtime, or maybe because movement stoked their appetite for the healthy foods: (NPR)

Who else is thirsty for radlers (beers made with citrus juice) and Lambrucha (part lambic beer and part kombucha)? Guess I’m one of those health-conscious women to whom US beverage makers are targeting their new low-alcohol drinks: (New York Times)

In 2015, if you’re not into fat you’d better leave the kitchen. So next time you’re left with a chicken carcass or beef bones, consider making the food trend and health silver bullet du jour: bone broth, which is like stock but with a higher proportion of bones to meat: (New York Times)

Similarly, schmaltz has long served as the backbone of Jewish cooking, but is making a comeback with home cooks who realize that lard isn’t such a bad-for-you ingredient, after all: (Huffington Post)

How cool that a publisher exists to put out only children’s books about healthy eating? Its latest title is Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious: (Civil Eats)

We knew gut bacteria was necessary for physical health, but a new Oxford study suggests that its presence dictates our mental health, too; prebiotics may have an anti-anxiety effect, as they alter the way that people process emotional information: (Huffington Post)

Yes the economy is improving, but this means about 1 million people will lose SNAP (food stamps) in the coming year as states re-impose the three-month limit on benefits to unemployed adults who are not disabled or raising children: (CNN)

An increasing number of food nonprofits are relying on Walmart to fund their programs, but this author encourages them to consider how what is good for one organization may not be good for the food movement as a whole: (Civil Eats)

While most of us had our eyes on the holiday prize, Senate cleared and Obama signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill; tucked within it was a provision prohibiting the government from requiring less salt in school lunches and allowing schools to obtain exemptions from whole-grain requirements: (New York Times)

Last week at a friend’s dinner table, we noticed the wine label said “contains milk and eggs”; hard to understand, until I came across this article: (Civil Eats)

Tech advances in tuna catching are a boon for commercial fishing, but without more regulation, they could end up killing off the stock: (The Guardian)

A UC Berkeley study showed how methods like crop rotation and polyculture are much more productive than bare-bones organic farming, testament to the fact that simply eliminating pesticides does not make a farming system agroecological: (Civil Eats)

And research demonstrated that we feel less full when we think food has less calories; the hormonal response to this perception can sabotage diet attempts:(Forbes)